Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
If someone born into a high family becomes a humble servant, their praise cannot be put into words.
Nanak says: if someone from a family the world looks down on becomes a humble servant, they will wear shoes of honor.
Whoever serves in love is honored, whatever family they were born into.
In Guru Nanak's time, people were ranked by the family they were born into. Jaat kuleen: someone from a high-ranked family. Sanaatee: someone from a family the world looked down on. When either one becomes a sayvak, a humble servant, they are honored: panHee-aa pahirai, they wear shoes of honor. Before the One, the labels people hand out fall away, and every person stands with the same dignity.
Why do you think the labels people get given can be so unfair — and what would be fairer?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI